Sins of the Mothers
by Niosis
Summary: This fic is now off the shelf and dusted... The story outlines the events after a disaster caused by Ultimecia's death (read the intro first...)
1. Introduction

-This piece drifts a bit from the FF8 story, I made it so that Edea never recieves Ultimecia's powers in the third-to-last scene of the game, and that Ultimecia just plain ceases to exist in any form (rather than "not being able to disappear" - also in the same game scene). In other words, Edea never becomes a sorceress, and Ultimecia was killed without transferring her powers. Thus, I've single-handedly sabotaged FF8's entire story. Hope you like it!  
  
Disclaimer- All FF8 characters are property of Square... all other characters are mine, all mine.  
  
After the defeat of the sorceress Ultimecia, the world rejoiced with one voice; all were free from the threat of world war. One voice proclaimed victory over adversity, victory over a seemingly invincible enemy. Following this triumph, the worldÕs governments united, fearing that a seperated world could make way for a new threat, a new dictator. The conquerors of the sorceress, the brave SeeDs from our Garden, were present at the signing of the treaty that would end all conflict. The document was rather successful in instilling peace into the human race. Yet, in seven days, the treaty would be rendered useless, for the coming threat was not posed by humans.  
  
We know very little about where a sorceress gains her powers, or how those powers tie into the great thread of our world. From what my colleagues and I have gathered since the incident, the sorceress is an integral element of our planet, much like the water or the wind. The ethereal ties a sorceress shares with this natural plane keep a steady equilibrium, one that balances the world and its surroundings. If these ties are abruptly cut before being transferred, that precious balance is lost. This imbalance would result in a series of cataclysmic events over the course of three days.  
  
However, I stray from my point. Four days after Ultimecia was destroyed, the planet ceased to spin. One side of the planet was blanketed in heavy, impalpable darkness, while the other endured sunlight the entire day. The worldÕs best scientists and intellectuals could not explain this phenomenon, but they believed that it was only temporary. How wrong they were. I have not seen darkness for as long as I can remember.  
  
On the fifth day, an ear-splitting screech echoed over the land. On the night of the fifth day, the largest Lunar Cry in known history occurred. On an emergency message, officials noted that this Cry had deposited a great deal more monsters than usual on our planet. The morning of the sixth day saw another Cry, unleashing roughly the same amount again of beasts from our celestial cousin, the moon. What we thought was another random event would occur again in another two years.  
  
On the seventh day, all communications, including the seemingly "perfect" underground HD lines were cut. Towns and cities everywhere were ravaged by endless hordes of inhuman monstrosities. To me, the events of the past three days seemed to be a strike from the grave by the sorceress, in retaliation for her death. She knew that both ways, whether she lived or died, she would make the world suffer. She did not fear death, for within it, there lied a weapon no one except herself knew about.  
  
On the morning of the eighth day, I awoke to what I believed to be a cry of the world, a cry much different from that that was proclaimed a week ago. This cry was not proud, nor triumphant. Instead of hearing every voice in the world, I heard a single child crying; a small, fearful child, one who wanted to look back into the past and see his mother waiting in her humble home with open arms. However, he could only look forward, to the charred remnants of that humble house and the harsh reality of the world.  
  
-Historian Aerilian Lighthawk  
Balamb Garden  
  
-- This is my first piece of FanFiction... hope you'll like it as the story unfolds... expect an update every few days or so, I've got plenty of free time to spend on this. Feel free to review and throw any constructive criticism my way... I'm trying to make my first outing the best it can be. -- 


	2. Everything Old is New Again

Disclaimer: Nothing owned by Square is owned by me. We're not Communists here. Everything not owned (in this piece, anyway) by Square is mine.  
  
The PA system came to life with a crackle, startling Timshel from his sleep. The crackle was soon followed by an ounce of feedback, which caused the young SeeD hopeful to sit upright in bed. He mumbled and rolled out of his bunk, landing on the floor in an undignified heap. Timshel rubbed his head, and decided that standing up wasn't worth the effort. Thus, he fell back to sleep on the floor. Before full unconsciousness settled in, the PA blared a trumpet reveille (a sick tradition carried over from Headmaster Cid's administration) that made the young student jump in alarm from the heap of blankets he had found refuge in. His bunkmate woke serenely, took a look at his fellow cadet, and opened the morning with a rumbling laugh.  
  
"Dude, look at your forehead!" the bunkmate exclaimed. Timshel's face blushed instantly. His first order of morning business saw him in front of a mirror, poking at what may have been the largest bruise of his young life. All the while, Lirian, his bunkmate, could barely stand up from his laughter. Timshel ignored his friend's wisecracks and continued to poke and examine the bruise, wincing in pain occasionally. Glancing into the mirror, Timshel saw Lirian rise from his bunk, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.  
  
"How long are you gonna poke at that thing? It's just gonna get worse," Lirian suggested, donning his informal morningwear. Timshel rolled his eyes and continued with his obsession.  
  
"Maybe you could ask one of the girls for some cover-up!" Lirian said, laughing and ducking for cover behind a dresser. Timshel broke his gaze in the mirror and dove over the dresser, chasing his heckler with a sort of playful rage in his eyes. In his mind, however, he was running over how he was going to ask one of his female associates for some sort of make-up. It was either that, or he'd have hold his hand over the bruise all day. Wearing cosmetics was certainly less humiliating than the alternative. All the while, Lirian, always quick on his feet, leaped back over the dresser and evaded his assailant. Timshel took a quick play-swing and missed, and Lirian calmed down. The two ended up on good terms again as they raced out of their dorm room to head to the cafeteria.  
  
If there's one thing to be said about the Balamb Garden cafeteria, it's that the place is a freak of nature. The skeleton crew of three middle-aged women working the abnormally small kitchen can produce enough food to feed 500 people three times a day. And it could be safely said that 1/3 of the people in the Garden are cadets between the ages of 13 and 19; or In other words, 33% of the residents can eat at least twice their body weight at any given time. The numbers are mind-boggling*.  
  
Lirian, per usual, was the first out of the dormitory, followed by Timshel. The automatic door closed behind them for a split second, then a wave of ravenously hungry adolescents and young adults burst thorugh the door and broke into a dead sprint towards the eatery. Garden faculty along the pathway of the quad, donned in their usual modest garb, dove out of the way to keep from being trampled.  
  
In the cafeteria, the three cooks' ears perked up. It was showtime. One of the three tightened her grip on the fryer. Another cracked her knuckles. Lirian cartwheeled through the door, followed by the ravenous mob. Plates and silverware clanked and chairs slid about as all the residents of the Garden were quickly served by the demi-godlike cafeteria staff. Random conversation drifted about and entered Timshel's ears as he divided attention between his plate and the people around him. His eyes shifted around the cafeteria, passing by the table where Instructor Quistis Trepe sat, surrounded by chatty young women and drooling adolescent boys. A hoot of excitement rang across the room and drew the young cadet's attention. Rielle, the resident Triple Triad master, had just trounced another opponent. A memory of his precious card collection lost to the skilled girl ran through Timshel's mind, and he smirked. He'll learn not to mess with her, he thought to himself. His divided attention soon switched to the plate of eggs in front of him.  
  
Breakfast ended as usual for the denizens of the Garden; the great mob receded from the cafeteria, the rage of hunger out of their eyes, and headed back to their rooms to dress for class. Poking his bruise, in now what was almost a nervous reaction, Timshel flipped open his notebook and saw a note he made last week. Today was combat demo day. He grinned and with a new hope for an exciting day, he ran off to his room.  
  
* Yet, one may ask, where does all this food come from? Garden specialists, in conjunction with the skilled Shumi tribesmen onboard the Garden, devised a solution to the food problem after the closest market, Balamb, was evacuated, and other towns were destroyed by monster hordes. 24 hours of sunlight a day allows for double growth in plants. By creating a new part of the Garden specifically designed to absorb as much sunlight as possible and planting food in a nutrient-rich synthetic solution, the plant harvest occurs almost every week, providing the bulk of Garden's food supply.  
  
-- Expect frequent updates for about a week... I'm not doing anything important... as usual, please send any reviews and constructive criticism... I think you'll like the next chapter... -- 


	3. Combat Demo

Disclaimer- None of us like getting sued. Thus, I have to say that all FF8 characters and plot items belong to Square. However, everything else is mine, and can be marketed accordingly... -grin-  
  
The hum of insects welcomed the SeeD hopefuls into the Garden's training center, the site for that week's combat demonstration. Many of the cadets arriving in the center were first-year students, which meant that they were not allowed to engage in combat of any sort, and had not chosen a weapon specialization. Combat demos were not mandatory, but it was suggested that all students attend a few during their educational career. Yet, very few students missed the chance to see two full SeeDs in direct combat, and, unbeknownst to Garden faculty and alumni, an efficient gambling ring was headed by an entreprenurial group of SeeD cadets. In the center of the slowly growing mass of students stood Instructor Trepe and the Co-Headmaster of Garden, Squall Leonhart. Squall looked at Quistis and a frown creased his brow.  
  
"You sure you want to do this, Quistis?" Squall said, uneasily.  
  
"Don't go soft on me now, Squall," Quistis said with a grin, "I have to do this every week. And you know that the students need to see how we fight."  
  
"Yeah... but it seems so awkward... I'd be killing you..." Squall stated, continuing his frown.  
  
"Kinda presumptuous to think you'd beat me, eh?" Quistis said, chuckling and narrowing her eyes in mock hatred. Squall seemed to ease up a bit. "And if you do happen to beat me, do you think that I'll be in unsafe hands with Dr. Kadowaki?" Quistis said, "She's saved your life a few times, I remember. I'll be fine, Squall. Trust me on this."  
  
Trust you? You want me to kill you? How does Nida put up with doing this every week?  
  
"You've got that look again," Quistis teased, "Drifting off into your own world again?" Squall rolled his eyes at his former Instructor. "Ease up! Have some fun for a change! Whaddya think would happen if Rinoa saw you getting beat by a girl?" Squall blushed slightly in response.  
  
***   
  
Timshel and Lirian stepped into the first section of the training center, late as usual and avoiding the eye of their instructor. Instructor Trepe swiveled around, almost as if she could smell tardiness on her students.  
  
"Ah, Cadets D'Ischai and Tianni. Fashionably late, I see." Quistis said, with a scrutinizing glance at the two.   
  
Lirian, always quick on the draw, retorted, "I always try to look my best for -your- class, Instructor." A giggle shot through the crowd. Lirian was in his element.  
  
"I see," Quistis said, "but it appears that Cadet D'Ischai did not make the same preparations as yourself,"  
  
Damn, Timshel thought, why couldn't I just grow a pair and ask Aly for something to cover this bruise? More giggling ensued. Timshel slunk down into his seat, assisted by Lirian's hyena-like laughter. Quistis raised her right arm in a dignified motion and the crowd grew silent.  
  
In a more solemn and magisterial voice, Quistis began the session. "I would like to welcome all of you to this week's combat demonstration. Please keep in mind that all students of rank five or lower are not allowed to participate in one-on-one combat. This session is meant to show you how to fight against an equally-skilled opponent, not how to beat each other up." A few interdispersed laughs broke out, but were destroyed by Quistis' cold stare. "As many of you have noticed, Nida is not here as my sparring partner. Subbing for him is Squall Leonhart." A few girls batted their eyelashes at the silent Squall, and the upperclassmen, a minority in the group present, cheered. "At the end of this spar, if you have any questions, feel free to ask either one of us." Quistis grinned and an uneasy smile fell over Squall. "Without further adieu, we will begin. Any questions before we start?"  
  
Timshel glanced around and saw five hands shoot up at once. He rolled his eyes as he noticed that those hands belonged to the members of the self-proclaimed Trepe Fan Club. Seeing this, Quistis smiled and nodded at the five, and their hands fell as quickly as they had shot up.  
  
Good move, Instructor... Timshel thought to himself, I hate seeing them make fools of themselves...  
  
Quistis stepped forward to face Squall. Both bowed ceremoniously and drew their weapons. Quistis unfastened her whip from her belt and gave it a crack. Squall loaded his gunblade and tightened his grip around the curious weapon. Silence fell over the crowd. Tension hung thick in the air. In the blink of an eye, Squall dashed forward to strike his opponent. Expecting the attack, Quistis dextrously entangled the blade in her whip, flicked her wrists, and flung the weapon from Squall's grasp. A cheer rose from the Trepe Five. Quistis quickly uncoiled her whip and unleashed a strike at Squall, who rolled out of the way and quickly turned to face Quistis, his arms outstretched. Squall rapidly murmured a few words, and his eyes flashed red. A burst of flame flew from his palm, enveloping Quistis in arcane fire. Quistis, stunned from the attack, could not react as the gunblade master dove and grabbed his weapon. Squall rapidly blindfired four rounds from his blade at the burning instructor. Quistis dropped to the ground to avoid the deadly bullets. The young instructor then dug her fingers into the dirt, recited an incantation aloud, and was covered with green tendrils of curative magic. The green veins passed over her body and extinguished the flames. Quistis concentrated harder, forcing the magic to flow to her wounds, restoring the burned flesh.  
  
Squall's mind raced in the heat of battle as he watched his opponent rise from the ground. He leaped forward and attemped a second strike. Quistis looked straight at Squall, dropped her whip, and focused her will into her hands.  
  
As he dashed forward, Squall began to feel the tug of time at his body. He suddenly felt very fatigued. His motions slowed to a crawl. He felt his feet go leaden. His arms ceased to move. The last things his mind processed were the white ribbons of light rippling away from Quistis' fingers. The students looked on in awe. Squall appeared as if he were a living statue. His cheeks were still full of life, but his body did not move. Quistis then spread her arms out and glanced skyward. After a few seconds, she was enveloped in a great mass of ethereal ice.  
  
Quistis had felt this before. Her body was not her own. She felt increasingly distant as the Guardian's spirit displaced hers. Soon enough, Quistis had been removed from her physical shell and took a glimpse at Shiva manifesting within the ice. Quistis never liked this state of disembodiment; she felt so powerless, so weak. Quistis began to hear soft whispers around her. She knew what this was.  
  
Guardian feedback.... she remembered. These voices are pieces of my forgotten past, pieces that I gave up to use the GF...  
  
What were once unintelligible mumblings had now become a broken song, uttered by the heavenly voice of a woman. Some words of the song rang through clear, while others drifted away into nothing. For the fleeting moments in which Quistis heard the words, she basked in their beauty. Suddenly, the song stopped. The beautiful voice was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Quistis felt a longing to hear the voice again, and in the silence, she felt truly alone. The voice started again, but this time, the words did not carry on in a beautiful song. Instead, they came back as shouts, which Quistis recognized as her own.  
  
Life... Death... Love... A pause in the words occurred, followed by one more, louder than the rest. ....Squall....  
  
***  
  
Squall's mind returned to him slowly, his thoughts processing as if they were flowing through syrup. His eyes refused to move, and he was just gaining control of his limbs. By the time he was somewhat conscious, he found himself staring into Shiva's cold eyes. The Guardian's gaze permeated Squall's being, looking straight into his soul and making it tremble. He watched the graceful goddess' lips move, and the sound that accompanied them registered in his mind.  
  
"Die..."  
  
-This chapter was a bit harder for me to write... and I'm still looking over how I want this story to flow... expect a lot of edits... the third chapter should clear up some questions that were posed in the first and second chapters. As usual, please R&R if you have the time to do so - 


	4. Sunset

Disclaimer- All things owned by Square are owned by Square, not by me.  
  
Light filtered in through the blinds of the co-headmistress' office, waking the snoring leader of Garden from her snooze on the desk. Papers flew everywhere as she was startled into wakefulness. Always the portrait of grace, the headmistress promptly fell backward out of her plush chair. Upon regaining her footing, the young woman stood up straight and walked over to the blinds of her office. With the flick of a wall switch, the wooden slats folded up, revealing a breathtaking view of the open ocean.  
  
It seems so strange, Rinoa thought, Every day I think we're still by Balamb, on the land... Rinoa rubbed sleep from her eyes and sighed. Has it been that long? Rinoa ran through her mind, trying to remember the last time she had set foot on real, honest-to-God ground. Garden just seems... so natural... it reminds me of Timber... but when I look outside... Rinoa felt a tug at her heart. She grew up in the forest, and any feat of Shumi bio-engineering could not replicate home for her. It had to be done, though. What other options did we have? Squall almost died that night! How could I deal with that every day? Tears began to run down Rinoa's cheeks.  
  
Rinoa never wanted to re-live that night; the night* of the first Lunar Cry after Ultimecia's death; the one that forced Garden to escape into the sea. Rinoa tried to force the memory out of her consciousness. No. Never again, she thought. Yet, like an undeterrable juggernaut, the memory of that night smashed through her mental defenses and she was overtaken.  
  
***  
  
Rinoa woke up to the sound of shouts outside her room. Alarms were sounding in the quad. She jumped from her bed and opened the door out to the main dorm hallway. As she glanced down the hall, she saw people rushing from their rooms in full combat gear. Startling her, Zell tapped her shoulder from behind.  
  
"What's going on?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"I don't know," Zell said, "but whatever it is, it's not good." Rinoa nodded in response. Almost instinctually, she opened her foot locker and dressed and armed herself for battle. Thoughts rushed through her mind. What's going on? Who could be attacking us? She affixed her pinwheel to her arm and glanced out her bedroom window. Fear struck her as she saw swarms of large flying creatures weaving in and out of the light cast by the Garden.  
  
Breaking into a dead sprint, she followed Zell into the quad, where all hell was breaking loose. Cadets and SeeDs were running everywhere, shouting and readying their weapons as they moved. Rinoa's eye caught Irvine moving to the elevator lobby of the quad, his rifle in hand. As she stopped to look, Zell had unknowingly taken off without her.  
  
Squall... where are you? What's going on? Rinoa thought to herself. All of a sudden, her thoughts were lost in the sound of smashing glass. She looked up towards the quad's windows and saw glass flying everywhere. The traffic in the room slowed to a halt, as all stared with fear at the breach. Time seemed to slow for a moment. What was a duration of five or six seconds turned into a minute as everyone prayed that what they saw outside was not coming inside. Then, a single bird-like monster flapped through the newly made entrance. Rinoa turned her head as she heard guns cocking. Rinoa jumped in alarm as the first gun fired, followed by at least twenty more. The bird crumpled and fell to the ground as its body was ripped apart by the firing SeeDs. The gunfire stopped, waiting for what was next. Silence fell over the defense team as all eyes fell on the windows. In the blink of an eye, dozens of the same type of bird-beast dove in through the window. Rinoa hit the ground as the birds swooped down. The chatter of gunfire and screams echoed around her. She rolled onto her back and loosed her pinwheel into the swarm. Her eyes filled with hope as the projectile spun towards her target. Ten feet. Five feet. The ring nicked one of the attacker's wings and then shattered against the thick hide of another. A cold wave passed over the young woman. That was her one shot. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate amid the gunfire and screams in the battleground.   
  
Where is it? Why can't I use it?   
  
Rinoa frowned as she broke her meditation. Ifrit wasn't there. She always de-junctioned her Guardians when she went to sleep, and in the sudden events she had forgot to bind with Ifrit. She swore under her breath as she broke into a run towards the front line.  
  
She was still about fifty feet from the main line when something large hit her, knocking her down. Rinoa thought that she had been hit by one of the falling bird corpses. Yet, this corpse seemed to breathe. Hot breath blew against her face. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the open mouth of a cat-beast. Rinoa began to tremble as she looked at the beast's sharp teeth and powerful jaw.  
  
This is it, she thought, I've gotten out of death before, but this time, Death's come to collect his due. Rinoa closed her eyes hard and tensed her muscles, expecting the killing blow. A vision of Squall ran through her mind, and she felt a tear roll down her cheek.  
  
Three shots rang out, louder than the rest of the fire in the quad. The first shattered the cat's kneecap, causing it to roar out in pain. The next two slammed into the monster's head, ending his roar in a gurgle and splattering blood all over Rinoa'a face. The cat hit the ground to the left of the co-headmistress. Irvine leaped from his position, reloading his rifle and firing into the bird. swarm circling above Rinoa.  
  
"Rinoa, get up! We have to get you out of here!" Irvine shouted. Rinoa ordered her limbs to react, but they refused.   
  
Move, dammit! Rinoa screamed in her mind, Just move!   
  
Irvine looked on as Rinoa sobbed, her tears carrying the blood on her face away in tiny red rivulets. Seeing no other option, Irvine picked her up and slung the woman over his shoulder and ran back to the front line, firing one-handed into the swarm above him.  
  
Rinoa could only look on helplessly as Irvine moved her into the line, which was already being torn apart by ground monsters. In the few seconds before she was taken to the infirmary, she saw a sight that would stick with her for the rest of her life. Her eyes fell upon a young boy, no older than thirteen, drawing his sword against a serpent-like invader. Behind him was a girl much younger than him, who had been caught in the hustle and bustle of the quad traffic. The serpent flew forward and delivered its poison into the underclassman's right arm. Rinoa watched the boy's face go pale as the venom carried out its sanguine duty. With a loud scream of his dying breath, the boy swung at the serpent and cleaved its head from its body. The boy then fell to the ground, and his eyes met Rinoa's; eyes which were once filled with life and hope were now dulled with the haze of death. Rinoa screamed out in pain, feeling as if her very soul was being wrenched away from her. Then all went black.  
  
***  
  
Rinoa rose from the floor, the memory having passed.   
  
Why did this happen? Why am I on the floor? It wasn't a dream, but why did it seem like I was sleeping?   
  
Rinoa noticed her face was covered with tears, and that two hours had passed since the flashback started. With a sniff, she rose from the floor and left her office.  
  
*Garden was located within the 'dark zone' of the planet, the area that endured 24-hour darkness, before moving into the light part of the open ocean.  
  
- There was a bit of confusion (from what reviews tell me) in the second part of this chapter... the attack is a memory from two years past, sorry if that confused anyone, I added a few lines that help transition out of the memory - 


	5. Quistis, Interrupted

Disclaimer- All FF8 characters and FF8-related swag are owned by Square.  
  
Quistis shot up from her bed in a cold sweat. She gasped for breath as she looked around the room wildly.  
  
Where am I? Quistis thought, her mind scrambling for answers.  
  
The well-kept room she was sitting in seemed completely alien, and her eyes darted to the door. With a bound, she flew from the bed and was about to turn the latch when her mind jump-started itself. She withdrew from the door and sighed.   
  
It's not another dream, she informed herself. Quistis looked at the clock on her nightstand then gave a pained sigh.  
  
2:30 in the morning... Peachy.   
  
The adrenaline rush she had received earlier destroyed Quistis' chances of getting back to sleep for a few hours. Rubbing the remains of sleep from her eyes, she stepped into the bathroom. She flicked a small switch and a pair of fluorescent lights flickered to life bathing her in soft white light. Her hand grabbed for a bottle of aspirin, popped the top off with one swift motion, and she shook a few tablets into her hand. Quistis turned the faucet on and filled a small glass with water, then reached into a small pouch on a shelf and withdrew a green anti-saline* capsule from it. Dropping the capsule into the water, Quistis watched the water fizz for a few seconds; then she picked up the glass, popped the aspirin in her mouth, and drank the newly treated water.  
  
The young woman then glanced into the mirror and began to tend to her chronic bedhead. After she had the frizzed mass under control, she stepped back into her bedroom.  
  
I'm not sleeping anytime soon, she thought. Might as well get some air.  
  
Quistis then donned her jogging clothes, then sat down. Closing her eyes, Quistis focused her mind outward, trying to lure a very special sort of prey. She felt her target tug once at her will, then again. On the third tug, she focused inward, pulling her quarry, the Guardian Quezacotl, into her mind. With her Guardian junctioned, Quistis snatched up a small crystal orb and tossed it into the air. At the apex of its climb, the orb froze in place, hovering curiously above the ground. Quistis muttered a few words and red mist began to swirl out from the crystal. The woman took a deep breath and inhaled the mist. Following this, Quistis ran through the thought process of junctioning her newly acquired magic. As she did so, her irises changed to a deep fiery red, and once she had completed the exercise, she felt lighter and more agile. With her pre-jog preparations complete, Quistis turned the latch on her door, stepped out into the hall, and jogged into the Quad.  
  
I thought I had gotten over this. I'm not supposed to be losing sleep because of these demos. I've been doing this for years now, and why do I decide to feel bad about it now? I haven't gotten any sleep in two days! These dreams... just keep coming back... Quistis heard the last word the angelic voice said during the demo: Squall.  
  
No. That ended years ago. It didn't even start! I had a crush on Squall... but that was it. It's in the past now. After Quistis finished this thought, another voice began to speak. It was the voice of a man.  
  
Don't lie to yourself, the voice said. Quistis thought for a moment then discerned that the voice was that of her junctioned Guardian. She remembered back to her early lessons, where she was told that Guardians and their host body shared a mind, and that whatever the host felt was also felt by the Guardian. However, Guardians would frequently try to alleviate any negative feelings in their hosts, and Quistis discerned that Quezacotl was doing just that.  
  
You know as well as I do... the voice continued. Quistis rebutted this statement with a harsh denial.  
  
The voice returned. Silly woman. Do you not know that I can see your mind as well as you can?   
  
But you don't understand... Her statement was punctuated by a laugh from the Guardian.  
  
Maybe I do, maybe I don't; but one thing is for certain. You still love this man, whether you want to believe it or not. Quistis gulped as she circled the quad; she wasn't expecting an answer that blunt.  
  
But if that is true... how could I have fought him?  
  
You knew full well that he was going to be fine afterwards thatÕs why. Since he is tied to a Guardian Force, his spirit can come back to his body in due time. You know that he's going to be back among the living in a few hours. The reason why you feel so bad is because he's not here right now. You've always felt this same feeling when Squall was away. Even in the orphanage, you would cry in secret when he went out to play without you.  
  
Quistis's childhood flooded back into her memory as the Guardian reminded** her of her past.  
  
You try to hide the feeling now, the voice said, but it tears you up when you are alone. You keep up a strong face, but at your core, you're just like everyone else.  
  
As the truth dawned on the young woman, she stopped her sprint and sat on the ground. A single tear rolled down her cheek.  
  
Leave, Quistis commanded.  
  
I expect you will make the right decision, the voice retorted. Quistis felt her soul shake as Quezacotl left her consciousness. Sitting on the floor, bathed in the bright sunlight filtering through the skylights of Garden, Quistis broke down and wept.  
  
*Since the Garden is at sea, all water in the building comes from the ocean. Lacking a desalinization facility, Garden desalinizes its water with military-grade anti-saline tablets, which convert the salt in the water into harmless gas.  
  
**Memories lost by those who junction GFs are taken in by the GF itself, allowing the GF to recall them.  
  
- Wow. That took me a while to get out. Just to clarify, Squall -did- die in the demo, but can come back to life (in the game, a Phoenix Down or Full-Life would do this... -grin-) because his soul can return to his body since he has a GF junctioned. That was just my explanation of how the game brings people back to life after running out of HP or having Death cast on them... FYI, expect edits on this chapter - 


	6. Rebirth and the Warrior's Spirit

Disclaimer – All characters and other erroneous information from the FF series belong to Square.  
  
For Squall, all was dark. His spirit drifted about the impalpable darkness of death, almost in a state of nirvana with the universe. He could not think nor move; he barely existed at all. Then, all of a sudden, a tiny shaft of light pierced the dark curtain, slicing through Squall's lingering being. Golden sparks flew out from the shaft of light, each one falling onto Squall's spirit. With each spark, Squall's senses began to return to him; first, he could feel, then think, then move about the nether realm. Squall noticed the light increasing in intensity and size, and before he could realize it, he was bathed in light. His vision was completely drowned out by the light, and he felt warmth surge through him. Then, abrupt darkness fell on him like an immense weight.  
  
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Mind-shattering pain racked Squall's body as it forced itself to work. A burning sensation flew through every cell of his body as blood began to pump again, restoring the once-dead tissues of the SeeD's body. As his mind rebuilt itself, he felt his limbs jolt. Squall felt his hearing return, and his eyes sprang open. Out of pain, he screamed and sprang up in his bed. The soft fluorescent light seemed like the sun to him. He covered his eyes and continued to scream. The pain around him subsided, and he felt a small prick in his leg, followed by the soothing voice of Dr. Kadowaki.  
  
"It's going to be alright, settle down..."  
  
Squall's mind barely recognized the words; it was too busy educating the rest of the body to move. All of a sudden, the constant activity ceased, and Squall felt like he had run face-first into a brick wall. The young warrior fell back into his bed, and felt normal life coming back to him. He could see the doctor throwing a syringe away, and he looked to his side as he felt one of her aides untie a small poultice of shimmering feathers from his arm. The young blonde aide looked back at him, and gave him a professional smile as she finished her task. Squall turned his head around again to see the doctor grinning at him.  
  
"You usually don't revive like that... I thought something was wrong," Kadowaki said, with a wry smile.  
  
Squall tried to will his mouth into forming words, but all that came out was a mixed bag of mashed sounds. The aide at his side giggled, but he refused to acknowledge it. His eyes darted to his left, and he saw someone through the frosted glass that separated his room from the main lobby of the infirmary. He remembered the traditional salmon-colored garb the young woman was wearing, and he deduced that it was Quistis. Kadowaki left the room and poked her head into the lobby, inviting the young instructor in. Squall watched their distorted forms through the glass, and saw Quistis enter. She stared right at him, and for a second, he thought he saw a tear well in her eye, betraying her otherwise cold and professional appearance.  
  
"Sorry that waking up was a bit... uncomfortable for you," she said as her normal personality began to take hold again.  
  
- Uncomfortable... that's it. –  
  
Squall made a solid attempt to speak, and he succeeded, despite the slurring of most words.  
  
"It's alright... I'm pretty used to this," Squall said, working hard to repair his speech. His statement incited a smile from the instructor. A loud tone rang in the room, and Quistis was startled.  
  
"Class change... have to get out of here," Quistis smiled and ran out of the infirmary. The aide returned from the back room of the infirmary with another syringe. The aide handed the needle off to Kadowaki, who prepared to andminister the drug to her patient.  
  
- Doesn't this woman do anything else beside stab me with these? –  
  
Before Squall could object, he felt the needle prick him, and he fell into a deep sleep.  
  
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Rinoa walked in the outer ring of the Quad after her meeting with the other leaders of Garden. She stopped by the infirmary to see Squall, but he was heavily sedated, as per Dr. Kadowaki's orders. After that, she made her usual rounds about the classes, stopping in to oversee the newer teachers and look at the more promising students. In one of the classes, the students were undergoing an armed combat training; each student was handed a worn training quarterstaff and was matched with another classmate. She looked in to the class, watching the older children put on an impressive display of combat skill, flipping over and reversing each other's strikes. Finally, after acknowledging the instructor in the room, she snatched up a staff and decided to join in.  
  
"Class," the instructor began, "we have the privilege of having the Headmistress with us today, and for such an occasion, I will go against my usual morals and offer extra credit." The students chattered amongst themselves; extra credit was extremely sparing in most classes. "I will award a substantial amount of points to anyone who can best our Headmistress in combat." The chatter stopped. Many students frowned, refusing the offer. Others waited with baited breath to see who would seize the challenge. Rinoa looked about, and she heard a voice from behind the crowd.  
  
"I accept this offer, Instructor Langston." Timshel said.  
  
The crowd gasped, and a bit of ooh-ing ensued. Unbeknownst to the two adults in the room, bets flew about amongst the students.  
  
Rinoa nodded at the young boy and stepped into the ring. Rinoa focused inward and began to draw her Guardian to her. She set the bait for her target, waited, then struck, sealing Pandemona within her mind.  
  
- What is this? Fighting small children? You should be ashamed! -  
  
Rinoa ignored the nagging voice that now inhabited her head, and prepared to fight.  
  
"Tell me when you are ready," Rinoa said, with a wry grin or her face. Timshel nodded at her, then gave his staff a quick spin, putting him into the ready position. Rinoa nodded back. The young cadet yelled 'Hut!', and the fight was underway. Rinoa rushed forward, and brought an overhead strike down. Timshel blocked, and then overturned the strike, flipping Rinoa sideways. Rinoa gracefully landed the flip, and then fired a second strike, catching Timshel in the head.  
  
Timshel's ears rang for a second, and he clenched his fists. He felt his Guardian take control of his reflexes, and he readied himself once again. Rinoa, noticing an opportunity, grunted and heaved a mighty strike towards the cadet. Timshel felt Quezacotl move his limbs, and he watched himself execute a backflip to avoid the strike. Rinoa, still coping with the recoil of her attack, watched Timshel jump towards her and deliver a hard blow to her shins, knocking her to the ground. The cadet brought down a strike that made a slap on the mat as Rinoa rolled out of the way. Rinoa raised her hand and created a surge of energy that threw her assailant back. The cadet recovered from the blast and began to feel adrenaline surge through his veins. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. Timshel watched Rinoa flip back to her feet and charge at him.  
  
Ten feet. Rinoa raised her worn staff high into the air and began to yell. Seven feet. The Headmistress began her strike. Timshel could see her arm muscles contract as the woman forced the staff through the air. Five feet. The world was almost in slow motion for the cadet; he could hear the weapon slicing through the space in front of him. Two feet. Rinoa's yell echoed in his ears, and he felt his body prepare for action. One foot. The staff was inches from his head. A bead of sweat fell from his face. He watched the tiny drop fall to the ground at an excruciatingly slow pace. The droplet hit the ground and made a tiny splash. He could feel the staff pass through his unkempt hair. One inch. The world sped back up and Timshel felt every part of his body scream out. In an instant, his body threw itself out of the way of the powerful blow. Rinoa 's strike hit the ground, shattering the wooden floor and breaking the staff. The crowd cheered. Timshel's heart beat at a blazing pace. The Headmistress was recovering from her missed attack. The cadet ordered his body to move, but no result occurred. His vision blurred. He felt control of his body slipping away.  
  
- What is going on? Why can't I move? -  
  
The usual snide response from his Guardian did not echo back to him. He watched the enraged Rinoa make a powerful slash at him with her staff, and he blacked out.  
  
Silence. He felt a cool breeze fall on him. The next thing he heard was the faint sound of breathing around him. He felt something in his hands. His mind began to catch up, and he remembered he was holding a weapon. The cadet opened his eyes. He saw the Headmistress in front of him, with his quarterstaff pressed against her neck. Rinoa looked down in utter disbelief. She was breathing heavily as she stared into the student's face. Timshel lowered the staff, and began to shake with fear. He bowed to his superior, and walked out of the classroom.  
  
-- END NOTE -- Well... back to the old project. I apologize for the two-month hiatus I was on. For some reason, I stopped working on this project a while back, and I hope I am still able to continue it. From now on, I will to try and update more regularly and possibly have double-chapter updates (sure...) 


	7. Jill in the Box

Disclaimer – All characters/events in Final Fantasy are, contrary to popular belief, not real and belong to Square.  
  
- What the hell did I just do? – Timshel thought. – How did I win? –  
  
Timshel ran over these thoughts as he ran back to his dorm. He was still considerably shaken by his triumph over Rinoa. He heard quick footsteps behind him, and he whirled around nervously. Lirian and a few other cadets were right behind him, with faces of disbelief. Lirian was the first to pipe up.  
  
"Dude." As concise as the statement was, it summed up the attitudes of the three onlookers. "What happened out there?" Lirian asked.  
  
"I couldn't tell you," Timshel replied, "I just don't know."  
  
"You're a mess."  
  
"Did you expect me to be all sunshine and butterflies? I scared the hell out of myself."  
  
"Well, you do tend to scare me on occasion, so welcome to my world," Lirian said, in his usual jovial tone. Timshel gave a weak smile. "You alright, buddy?"  
  
"Not really," Timshel said, his voice still shaky, "I need some time. What happened out there's never happened to me before. I'm kinda scared." Lirian smiled.  
  
"Figures that you'd be the one to be all bummed out after something like this." Lirian grinned. "I made 300 gil off you."  
  
"Thanks for the support."  
  
"No prob." Lirian patted his friend's back. Timshel turned back around and headed off to his dorm  
  
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"That's quite a cadet you've been training," Rinoa said.  
  
"Apparently there's something in him I haven't seen," Instructor Langston stated, gathering up the day's weapons.  
  
"What do you mean?" the Headmistress replied, tilting her head with curiosity.  
  
"Timshel's always been a..." the instructor paused, "well... a slacker student. He's scored low in most of his courses, save Combat History, which is a blow-off subject anyway-"  
  
"I hate to think I'm running a school that has 'blow-off' courses," Rinoa said with a grin. The instructor immediately started to backpedal. "Well, blow-off doesn't mean what it used to... uh..." The instructor blushed. Rinoa gave a melodic laugh.  
  
"Don't worry about it. As you said, it doesn't mean the same thing anymore," Rinoa said with a wink. Langston smiled.  
  
"Glad we could find some common ground," Langston agreed. Rinoa prepared to make a witty reply, but an interrupting aide flew in through the door. Langston was startled as the aide greeted Rinoa in a rather loud fashion. The quarterstaffs flew from the instructor's hands and he jumped back. The aide blushed and bashfully offered to assist the instructor. Langston shook his head.  
  
"I was going to get around to it myself," Langston said with a smile. Tension lifted from the aide's features for a moment, then the emotion returned as he turned to face Rinoa.  
  
"Your Headmistress-ness!" The aide saluted. Rinoa raised an eyebrow.  
  
"First day at this post?" Rinoa asked. The aide reluctantly nodded his head. "Just call me Rinoa; I hate all the formality I get sometimes." Standing corrected, the aide began.  
  
"Your Headm- I mean, Rinoa, Navigation found something a while ago that I think you should see."  
  
"What sort of thing?"  
  
"Beats me. Nida told me to get you, though." Rinoa rubbed her chin.  
  
"Excellent work, Aide. I'll be up to see Nida in a few moments." She saluted the young man in front of her. In response, the aide nervously bowed, then ran off to complete his usual lackey duties. Rinoa nodded to the instructor in front of her, and he smiled back, still collecting the day's tools. The woman then left for the navigation deck.  
  
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Bright sunlight poured in through the opening elevator doors as Rinoa stepped onto the Garden's deck. She could see Nida fussing over a rather large plastic box to the left of the control platform. A trainee was at the helm, running over scores of holographic gauges and readouts surrounding the main control fin. Nida heard the elevator bell ring, and he looked up at Rinoa.  
  
"Get my message?"  
  
"Sure did. Your new aide's doing a fine job." Nida rolled his eyes. He never liked to have someone following him around. The navigator hated the limelight, and having an aide that worshipped his every step was the antithesis of this life philosophy. "Don't be too hard on the kid." Rinoa smiled. The pilot shrugged. "So... what do we have here?" Rinoa raised her eyebrows with interest as she walked over to the crate. "Well, frankly, I have no idea." Nida said, scratching his head. "Someone on the lower levels picked it up and brought it here. It's heavy as all hell." Rinoa tried her hand at one of the grips on the side of the box, and she could only lift it a few inches. She exhaled heavily as she placed the box back down.  
  
"Let's see if all that Garden training paid off;" Rinoa said, "did we think about opening it?" Nida sighed and gave the woman a blank stare.  
  
"Yes, we tried." Nida rolled his eyes. "The thing's locked up from the inside. There's no keyhole or controls on the outside. So, other than using harsh language, we have no way of getting in." Rinoa smirked.  
  
"Can we cut it open?"  
  
"Tried. Sent two SeeDs to the infirmary when the chainsaw exploded while cutting."  
  
"Blow it open?"  
  
"And destroy whatever's inside? That's kinda counter-productive."  
  
"And harsh language still doesn't cut it?" Rinoa laughed. The man groaned. "Sheesh. Someone's a little stressed."  
  
"Stressed? I've only been up here for an hour staring at a box that won't open," Nida said sarcastically. "Hell, the goddamn thing probably can't open!" The navigator kicked the box. As the kick connected, the box lid popped open, with a small amount of gas escaping as the seal broke. Nida's eyes lit up. "Guess it just needed a little love." Nida opened the interior compartment of the box. Almost immediately after he unlatched the second door, he slammed it and stepped back.  
  
"What is it?" Rinoa queried.  
  
"Oh... nothing big. Just a girl." Nida said incredulously.  
  
"What?"  
  
"There's a girl in that box." Rinoa gasped and flung the second door open. Lo and behold, a teenage girl was curled up in the box. She had brilliant red hair, the likes of which Rinoa had never seen. The girl was wearing what appeared to be a wetsuit-like garment, and she had deep green eyes. Upon further exploration, the Headmistress found a small control panel that was alive with light. All of a sudden, the panel went dark, and the mechanical hum that had been emanating from the crate ended. Rinoa put her ear to the girl's chest and heard a weak pulse.  
  
"She's still alive... barely. Get her to the infirmary, now!" Rinoa commanded. The navigator jumped to his feet and recruited some nearby staff members to help him move the girl off the deck. Rinoa rushed to the intercom and paged Dr. Kadowaki. The floor clicked with the sound of hurried boots as the navigator and his crew rushed into the elevator.  
  
-END NOTE- Short chapter. Meh. I was happy with it. Expect another update sometime. Also, I'm going to apologize for the noticeable (to me, at least) tone change in the last two chapters. Guess it's what I get for putting this off for a few months. Getting back into the swing, though. Also, my apologies go out to those of you who have seen the previous three versions of this chapter, without proper scene breaks 


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